The Buccaneers left their first preseason game with more than a win over the Jets. They may have found a pair of defensive playmakers, too.
Tampa Bay beat New York 24-16 on Aug. 14 in East Rutherford, N.J., and the defense did its part by limiting the Jets to one offensive touchdown. Two undrafted rookies, outside linebacker Jack Pyburn and cornerback Ayden Garnes, kept flashing throughout the night and turned in the kind of plays that get coaches’ attention fast.
Garnes delivered the biggest moment. Midway through the second quarter, he picked off a Bailey Zappe pass and took it 47 yards for a touchdown, giving the Buccaneers their first points and pulling the game even at 10-10.
“It’s great to see his confidence grow. He doesn’t have a lack of confidence from that standpoint, but it’s about understanding and learning the entire system,” Bowles said on Monday.
“It’s not just the great plays, it’s the little things that could cause big things as well. He’s got a short memory, he’s very talented, he’s coming along.
He’s got some things to learn but we like how he’s progressing.”
Pyburn made his mark soon after halftime. New York had taken a 13-10 lead with a field goal at the end of the first half, then got the ball to open the second half. That’s when Pyburn wrecked the drive with a sack of Zappe on third-and-3, dropping him for a seven-yard loss and killing the Jets’ momentum.
Tampa Bay answered on the next possession, with quarterback Jalon Daniels leading an 80-yard march in 12 plays that finished with a Josh Williams touchdown and put the Buccaneers ahead for good. Pyburn wasn’t done, either. He added a second sack with two minutes remaining.
After the game, Pyburn said his performance was tied to a new approach.
“I’ve always been a good football player and had a good college career, but didn’t perform how I wanted to perform and part of that was the mental side of the game that I didn’t fully tap into,” Pyburn said. “When I sat on the couch on the day of the draft and I didn’t get drafted, I had to look at myself in the mirror and decide, ‘Who do I want to be?’
Did I want to say ‘why me, why me?’ or did I want to say ‘Why not me?’
I chose ‘Why not me’ and have worked harder than I ever have in my life to be where I’m at and I’m going to continue to.”
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